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Some Engineering Jobs Will See Double-Digit Growth Over Next 7 Years

Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 5 percent through 2024, while some other engineering focuses will see higher employment growth and some will see lower or no growth, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Electro-mechanical Technicians

This associates degree job averages a salary of $55,610.

Employment of electro-mechanical technicians is projected to show little or no change through 2024. Electro-mechanical technicians are generalists in technology, and their broad skill set will help sustain demand for their services.

Environmental Engineering Technicians

This associates degree job averages a salary of $49,170.

Employment of environmental engineering technicians is projected to grow 10 percent through 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Employment in this occupation is typically tied to projects created by environmental engineers. State and local governments are expected to focus their efforts and resources on efficient water use and wastewater treatment, and thus to increase demand for environmental engineering technicians.

Environmental Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $84,890.

Employment of environmental engineers is projected to grow 12 percent through 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. State and local government concerns regarding water availability, and quality, should lead to efforts to increase the efficiency of water use.

Health and Safety Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $86,720.

Employment of health and safety engineers is projected to grow 6 percent through 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Although manufacturing and construction companies will still be among the leading users of their services, health and safety engineers are being employed in new areas to prevent costly accidents involving people and equipment.

Industrial Engineering Technicians

This associates degree job averages a salary of $53,330.

Employment of industrial engineering technicians is projected to decline 5 percent through 2024. This is due in large part to projected declines in the manufacturing industries that employ them.

Industrial Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $84,310.

Employment of industrial engineers is projected to show little or no change through 2024. Firms in a variety of industries will continue to seek new ways to contain costs and improve efficiency.

Materials Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $93,310.

Employment of materials engineers is projected to show little or no change through 2024. Materials engineers will be needed to design uses for new materials both in traditional industries, such as aerospace manufacturing, and in industries focused on new medical or scientific products. However, most materials engineers work in manufacturing industries, which are expected to experience employment declines.

Mechanical Engineering Technicians

This associates degree job averages a salary of $54,480.

Employment of mechanical engineering technicians is projected to grow 2 percent through 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. Nevertheless, there should be opportunities for those who can master new software and technology, as well as traditional manual skills.

Mechanical Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $84,190.

Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 5 percent through 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job prospects may be best for those who stay abreast of the most recent advances in technology.

Mining and Geological Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $93,720.

Employment of mining and geological engineers is projected to grow 6 percent through 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth for mining and geological engineers will be driven by demand for mining operations. In addition, as companies look for ways to cut costs, they are expected to contract more services with engineering firms, rather than employ engineers directly.

Nuclear Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $102,220.

Employment of nuclear engineers is projected to decline 4 percent through 2024. Employment in several of the industries that employ nuclear engineers is projected to decline, including electric power distribution, research and development in engineering, and the federal government.

Petroleum Engineers

This bachelor’s degree job averages a salary of $128,230.

Employment of petroleum engineers is projected to grow 10 percent through 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Oil prices will be a major determinant of employment growth. As higher prices lead to increasing complexity of oil companies’ operations, more engineers may be required for each drilling operation.

Recent projections from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate engineering jobs will grow 3% over the coming seven years. While some disciplines such as aerospace engineering will experience a small decline, jobs for most engineering disciplines are on the rise.

This is part two of a two-part article. Here, Design News looks at Electro-Mechanical Technicians through Petroleum Engineers. Part one looked the disciplines of Aerospace through Electrical Engineering.

Employment for engineers will expand by roughly 67,200 new jobs. The growth rate is slower than the average for all occupations, in part, because several engineering technician categories are projected to decline as improvements in technology, such as design software, make workers more productive.

The median annual wage for engineering jobs is currently $77,900. The engineering median wages are higher than the median annual wage for all occupations, which is currently $37,040.

Click on the slideshow below to see how wages and prospects for individual engineering disciplines are expected to grow (or shrink) over the next seven years.

Rob Spiegel has covered automation and control for 17 years, 15 of them for Design News . Other topics he has covered include supply chain technology, alternative energy, and cyber security. For 10 years, he was owner and publisher of the food magazine Chile Pepper.

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